Teardrops and Dry Tears
by SwimmerLife
Summary: It's been going on for a week now. Toph doesn't know how to get his attention. She is mourning over a crush she thinks will never turn out. When Sokka's loud mouth upsets Zuko, she is the first to help. Afterward, a confession from both of them will make Ember Island a little more fun for Toph.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I got a message from an eliminator(whatever that means). They were all like 'take the lyrics out before somebody wants to report abuse for using song lyrics!' And since I am a person who has zip self confidence, I did it. I guess this means no sad Songfic for Skyfall by Adele. :( I just took out the lyrics and added detail to the story, so the the main plot line doesn't change. I guess you just gotta listen to the song while you read. Here, I'll give you the link. watch?v=xKCek6_dB0M&feature=kp

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Toph sighed as Zuko walked by, but quickly plastered a smile on her face when he turned to look at her. "Hey Toph!" He said. "Hi Sparky." She looked away from him as he approached Sokka, who was sitting next to Toph. She was forcing herself to act disinterested, and it was a wonder he didn't notice. She groaned as Sokka loudly asked him about his Fire Nation girlfriend.

Toph could tell he was bashful about the subject, but eventually he and Sokka were in an all-out verbal battle about which of their girlfriends was better.

"Suki is captain of the Kyoshi warriors!" Sokka argued.

"Well Mai didn't even need any training to throw her knives!" Zuko argued back with a grin.

Toph just started tuning them out. For a moment, she wished that she was Mai. It wouldn't matter if she had to deal with Azula, at least Zuko would be her boyfriend. She was snapped out of her thoughts when they addressed her.

"Hey Toph, who do YOU think is better, Mai or Suki?" Zuko asked suddenly. At this Toph laughed so hard her stomach hurt.

When she stopped, she said, "Does it matter?"

She couldn't tell how Sokka felt about that, because all she could think about was Zuko. Zuko and his little laugh that no one could hear except Toph. She sighed and imagined what it would feel like if Zuko was arguing over her, not Mai.

She listened the first few minutes of his little speech about how great Mai was and how he loved her so much and couldn't bear it if she hated him. After that, Toph just sighed inwardly at the hopelessness of her little crush on Zuko.

Her mind started to wander, and then she started to think about the many sleepless nights she had, when she was hoping he would walk by the door so she could at least talk to him, but he never did.

Toph remembered the tear stains on her shirt, so she went to ask Katara about washing them out. On the way over, she stopped, thinking that maybe he would notice the stains and care enough to ask what she had been crying about.

Sometimes Toph hated how she could never get Zuko off her mind. She hated how even though she hadn't known him much more than a week, she still loved him. She sighed, then realized that the two boys had stopped arguing.

She watched as Zuko stormed away, Sokka having beat him by saying, "At least Suki's not evil!" For a moment, all she could think about was getting Sokka for teasing Zuko like that. She stood up, and punched Sokka in the arm. Hard.

Then, Toph ran up to Zuko where he had been sulking by the woods. "He's just teasing."

"What?" He said. Toph repeated herself smugly. She noticed the small drops of tears forming around his eyes, and how he was flawless even when he was crying. Why was he so perfect? The scar just added to the depth of his personality.

Toph wished she was as perfect as him, maybe then he would like her like she liked him. Maybe then she could stop wishing she was Mai. She was sick of it.

What he said next snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Great! That makes me feel so much better, he's teasing me about how my girlfriend is evil!"

He was even perfect when he was desperate.

"I was just telling you that was was far from sincere." She said.

"Oh... Thanks Toph."

As Toph walked away, she muttered, " Mai better not break his heart, she better not hate him. She better Love him with all her heart and keep him happy."

She stomped her foot, and three large boulders floated above the ground. Toph threw two of them at a tree.

"Mai better know she's lucky to have him love her so much, she better look at him and see how beautiful he is and how lucky she is to have someone as beautiful as him love her. If she doesn't I will personally rip her to shreds!" She threw the last boulder at a bush, pretending it was Mai if she broke Zuko's heart.

Katara looked at Toph strangely, but continued what she was doing.

Toph bit back a sob and held a tear in as she acknowledged _again_ that he would never love her. For once she played a Katara card about hoping that someday he will, but she only barely believed it. She didn't know why she kept trying, but she just didn't want to stop, she didn't want to give up.

Toph sat silently through supper, just wanting to be alone, instead of wrestling for meat with the boys (minus Zuko, he was too princely to do that). When she was finished, she went to her room in the Western Air Temple, closing her eyes She forced herself to stop repeating his voice in her mind, she tried to stop thinking about him.

A silent tear went down Toph's cheek, and she thanked the gods that she never cried in front of the others. Toph wished Zuko wasn't breaking her heart, but she knew it wasn't his fault.

She couldn't stop loving him.

She spent so much time with him, but it never seemed to be enough for him to like her like that. She sat up and tried to wipe the tears away, but the little droplets just kept coming. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

Toph wished for a second time that day that she was Mai so she could be in his arms. That would be all she needed. She would be s happy if that could be true, but she knew in the back of her mind that it could never happen. She wasn't Mai, and he was in lobe with Mai.

Zuko passed her room, stopping in front of the door. "Toph, what's wrong?" Toph shook her head and grinned at him.

"I'm fine don't worry."

Zuko shook his head back and luaghed for a second, then wished her goodnight. As he turned to go, Toph whispered, "Wait, Zuko? Can I ask you something?"

** To be continued**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I know this is supposed to be a songfic, but I couldn't find a song to go, and I really wanted to continue with this. So, from now on, it is a regular story. This chapter is Zuko's perspective.

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"Wait, Zuko? Can I ask you something?" He heard Toph say as he turned to go.

"Yea, anything." Zuko said, turning around. Toph seemed to think better of the question, and muttered, "Nevermind, it's fine."

Giving her a quick "okay", Zuko went to his room, and in the morning, he still hadn't slept. He kept wondering what Toph was going to ask him. He turned to ask her about it, but before he could say anything, Sokka loudly announced that the group needed a pep talk.

Sighing, Zuko sat down with everyone else, watching with mild amusement as Sokka began his speech. Soon, though, his amusement faded as Sokka to spoke.

" We are not going to let the Fire Nation beat us up, are we?"

Zuko cringed.

"We are going to beat them up instead! They have come after us many times!"

At this, Zuko pulled his legs up to his chest in shame.

Toph gave him a worried glance, but left him alone.

" Many times they have failed, they have gone on pointless journeys to find us, only for us to beat them!"

When Sokka said this, Zuko did a very un-Zuko-like thing. He whimpered.

The group turned to look at him, and Sokka gaped as he realized what he had said. He rushed over to Zuko, exclaiming that he hadn't meant it like that, and that they had all forgiven him about it.

"No, it's o-okay. I-I hate myself for what I did. I would give anything to n-not have done that to you. I-I'm the one that s-should be apologizing." Zuko said, his voice shaking. Then, he put his head back on his knees.

"Zuko, we forgive you! There's nothing to apologize for!" Aang said. He kept trying to give Zuko a hug, but Zuko just pulled his knees in farther. He just felt like crawling into a hole and dying. That was how much shame he felt about what he had done.

"Hey Sparky. Do you want some alone time?" Toph asked, putting her hand on his shoulder. Zuko gave her a little nod, wishing they would leave him alone in his shame.

"Moving won't help." With this, she stomped her foot and a box around Zuko.

He muttered "Th-Thank you." Then she closed the top of the box.

Zuko took a deep breath, thankful for the small crack in the top that let in light and air. Then, he gave in to his thoughts, which mostly consisted of cursing himself and wishing he had stopped attacking to group sooner than he had. Eventually, stopped brooding and focused on calming down. He could hear the group talking out side.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! I can't believe I said that!" Sokka excaimed.

"Maybe I should go in there and do a little dance and say, 'Happy everybody forgives Zuko Day!'" Aang exclaimed. Zuko grinned at the younger boy's antics.

"Just leave him alone Twinkletoes." Zuko was shocked at how much Toph seemed to care. His cheeks flushed a little thinking about his little crush on Toph. Then he scolded himself for being so silly. She would never think of him like that.

Zuko snapped out of his thoughts as Katara spoke.

"How long are you gonna let him sulk in there Toph?" She asked.

Zuko could imagine the smug look on Toph's face as she snapped, "I will give him as much time as he needs."

Zuko smiled. Maybe they really DID care?

He kept listening to their continuing conversations. Sokka was on his left with Suki, Toph and Aang were on his right, and Katara was sitting at the right front corner. They were all sitting there waiting for him. The realization his him like a blast of warmth. Zuko took a deep breath.

"T-Toph?" Darn it, his voice was still shaky.

"You okay now Sparky?"

"I-I think so."

Without another word, Toph removed the slab of rock in front of him.

"You didn't move at all?" Aang questioned, looking slightly concerned.

"He didn't need to. He was to busy unnecessarily beating himself up on the inside." Zuko was glad when Toph answered for him. He was suddenly struck by how beautiful she looked framed by the midday light with the others framed behind her. He gasped, and tried to cover it up with a cough, but Toph didn't seem to buy it. Katara did though.

"Oh, don't tell me you're coming down with mild depression AND a cough!" She exclaimed, glaring at Sokka as he laughed, as if it was Sokka's fualt Zuko supposedly had a cough. But who could blame him, he was the first and only person he had told about his crush on Toph, and Zuko was Prince of the Dorky Awkward Boys. Even Zuko thought it was funny.

"I'm fine. No cough," the banished Prince (of the Fire nation and dorky awkward boys) said. He was glad his voice had stopped shaking.

"You know what makes even grumpy, sad, Zukos feel better?!" Aang yelled.

"What?" Both Toph and Zuko asked this simultaneously, and they looked at each other, then looked away, a slight blush on each of their faces.

Not noticing the slip, Aang continued, "Sparing!" Ready set go!" Aang didn't attack. Zuko looked at him confused. Sokka was motioning to Toph frantically, and by the time Zuko figured it out, Toph had already catapulted him into the remains of the little box ha had been in. Then she was laughing at him.

Zuko grumbled, the blush creeping back into his face. "How is getting beat up gonna make me happy?" He grinned as Toph hesitated, she was seeming to debate wether to keep attacking or help him up.

He jumped up, crashing into Toph, and they rolled around, not even bending, just hand to hand fighting. Zuko laughed even when Toph threw him off.

"Alright Fire Nation, spar over." She snapped.

Zuko sobered when she called him Fire Nation. He beat himself up enough by himself, and they knew that, so why did they keep helping him out with it? It wasn't like he WANTED to be reminded.

"Come on, seriously? Why don't you just move on? Don't tell me that speech about how you should be the one apologizing and you hate yourself, I already know that. But you gotta at least have moved on a little bit! So why are you always so sad?" Toph exclaimed, sitting down next to him.

Zuko waited a second before answering, thanking Agni that they were behind the box she had made for him. Then, he gave her a shy smile. "Why wouldn't I be sad, I am a shameful being AND it makes you pay attention to me Toph."

Toph's mouth hung open for a second, and then she scowled.

"I can't believe you Zuko. You broke my heart over and over talking about Mai, but you liked me?!"

I-I just pretended to still like Mai because I thought you would never like me like that." He exclaimed, elated at Toph's revelation.

"You've been very bad Zuko. Breaking my heart is punishable." Toph shook her finger at Zuko like Katara. He loved it when she teased him, so he played into her game.

He sat back on his heels, head bowed, arms up. The same pose as the day he asked the group to take him prisoner if they weren't going to take him as an ally.

Toph grinned and formed stone handcuffs, putting them around his wrists. She then pushed his hands down into his lap, whispering, "A very bad boy Sparky."

Then she kissed him.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter is Toph's POV, and I found a song that would fit this chapter, but I wanted to continue doing chapter formats. The song watch?v=oKar-tF_ac&feature=kp (I hope you like it.)

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Toph was mildly surprised at his reaction to her kiss.

_Whatever._ She thought, and with that she ran her tongue along his bottom lip, asking for him to open his mouth for her. Zuko jumped, but after a moment he figured it out, and opened up. Of course, Zuko being Zuko, he tried to push her tongue out when she slipped it between his lips.

Toph grinned against his lips, and twisted her tongue around his until he gave up and she won dominance.

Suddenly, she felt Aang coming near, probably wondering what was going on. She lifted her hands from Zuko's face, and smirked at him when Aang rounded the corner.

Toph whispered in Zuko's ear, "I assume it you know who's in charge now, right?" He gave her a shaky nod. Then, she straightened her back from where she had been bent over Zuko in his kneeling position.

"Toph? Why is Zuko kneeling?" Aang asked hesitantly.

Zuko jumped and turned around from where he had been staring at Toph.

Then Sokka appeared behind Aang and asked Zuko, "What's with the stone shackles?"

"Uhh..." He looked around for something that could serve as an explanation, but his shoulders slumped in defeat when he found nothing. Toph snickered at him, and placed a quick kiss on his cheek, laughing as he squirmed under her touch.

Sokka snickered out loud and teased Zuko, saying, "Zuko! What did you do to Toph!"

Katara grinned and exclaimed, "I think we should be asking what Toph did to him!" Toph laughed with Aang, Sokka, and Katara. She laughed harder when she noticed Zuko, still kneeling, with a hesitant grin on his lips.

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Later that day, after the attack from Azula, the group was on Appa on the way to Ember Island.

Toph was sitting next to Katara, Sokka and Zuko were on the other side of the saddle, and Aang was on Appa's head.

Toph turned to Katara, grinning as she told her, "Watch this." She got up, creeping over to where the guys, minus Aang, we're arguing over a battle tactic of some sort. Sokka looked up at her, but Toph put her finger up to her lips silently, asking Sokka to stay quiet.

"Of course it would work to go to the palace in a group, we would need to help defeat Azula!" Zuko argued, seemingly oblivious to the figure behind him.

Leaning down over his shoulder, careful not to startle him yet, Toph whispered in Zuko's ear, "Hey sweet one, stop worrying." She grinned as Zuko jumped with a yelp, and laughed too when Sokka and Katara started laughing hysterically. Even Aang turned around and laughed, and Momo jumped up and down on Zuko's head, as if he was mocking Zuko.

Zuko crossed his arms and grumbled. "You guys are immature."

"Oh really? Do immature people do this?" Toph placed a kiss on his lips, pushing her tongue into his mouth before he could do anything. Toph had won dominance. Again.

Zuko's good eye widened, and he did an un-Zuko-like thing for a second time that day. He squeaked.

The group had stopped laughing. Aang was covering his eyes with a grin, Sokka was pretending to throw up, and Katara had her motherly smile on and she looked at them like she was a mother hen and they were her little chicks.

Toph grinned at Zuko when she released his lips from hers. He made a grumpy face And crossed his arms.

"Oh, stop being so grumpy, we were just teasing!" Katara scolded Zuko.

Toph just grinned.

_This is gonna be fun. _She thought as they landed on the island._ A week training Aang and teasing Zuko without him getting mad? Oh yea._


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This chapter is from Zuko's POV, and yes I know, I update a lot, I just updated the other day and now I'm doing it again. I am obsessed. This story is my baby. I was going to do another story about Katara capturing Zuko, but that is cliché, and I just got too exited about this. So before anyone tells me I am too crazy about writing this story, please read this chapter! I promise it is going to be more serious.

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"Again! If you are going to face my father you need to be ready!" Zuko shouted at Aang as he flew through fire bending forms. "No! Like this!" Zuko jumped into the air and performed a series of kicks and flips. "Why are you so heavy on your an airbender for Agni's sake!"

Aang had been silent through all of his, but then he just blew up. "I'm trying, okay? It's not like I was born a firebender! It doesn't come naturally like it does to you!" He screamed.

Zuko was taken back by Aang's outburst, and he instantly felt bad for yelling at him. "I know, I don't know what got into me. I know what it feels like to have to try really hard just to get the basics right. I shouldn't have assumed you would get it right away." Zuko said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Suddenly, Katara ran up behind them and exclaimed, "See Aang! I told you he has mild depression!" Aang grinned and shrugged at Zuko.

"I do not have mild depression! Why would I have mild depression?!" he said, whipping around to face Katara. He watched as she sighed.

"Zuko, you DO have mild depression. Normal people don't yell and then be bashful, and they don't sulk all day." Aang said, putting his hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"Who ever said I was normal? None of us are normal! We have you, a blind Earthbender, the last waterbender in the North Pole, the last warrior in the North Pole, a flying lemur, a flying bison, and me, the crazy banished fire prince! So why on earth would I be normal?!" Zuko yelled with a frenzy of confused emotions in his voice.

He stormed off with a huff, leaving the group in a stunned silence. Crashing through the woods to the beach, he felt a little bad for his outburst, but then he just felt confused. He was so confused, was he mad or sad, happy or depressed?

He felt happy that they cared enough to tell him he was depressed, and he was angry they even thought he was depressed. Zuko was sad because he could never control himself enough to have decent friendships with the group, and he was depressed becuase he felt like no matter how hard he tried, he always messed everything up.

Zuko threw himself into the churning waves, as if almost drowning himself would solve his problems. It was lucky for him the rest of the group didn't agree. They allmran out of the forest, yelling his name.

"Guys! I see him!" Sokka yelled, and a moment later I was being pulled out of the waves by four sets of hands. Katara immediately took charge, demanding that Sokka and Aang turn him over and Toph try to get him to cough up the water. Then she proceeded to ask him if anything was hurting. Zuko just groaned.

"That was pretty stupid of you, Sparky." Toph commented as she pushed water out of his lungs by pushing on his chest.

"Well, I'm stupid, so isn't that fitting." Zuko coughed out.

"You aren't stupid." She objected.

Zuko resisted the urge to burst into laughter when she said that. "Yea right, I can't even figure out if I happy or depressed!"

"What?" Toph said, surprise evident in her voice.

" I can't determine if I'm happy because you all care enough to accuse me of being depressed, or if I'm depressed because every five minutes I mess something up. I can't believe you all aren't fed up with me and haven't realized how stupid and hopeless I am." Zuko said, and pangs of sadness rippled through him.

"No one thinks you're stupid or hopeless Zuko. Now be quiet and cough up the water!"Katara scolded.

"Well said Sugar Queen." Toph commented. Then, she leaned down and placed a small kiss on Zuko's cheek, whispering, "I love you Sparky. We all accept you for you. I just want you to know that"


End file.
